Bahk Eun-ji has been with The Korea Times since 2012, building a career across multiple desks. She began at the Business Desk, where she conducted in-depth interviews with key figures in Korea's corporate world. Later, she moved to the Politics & City Desk, focusing on education policy and social affairs. She later served as team leader of the digital content team, leading curation efforts on the newspaper’s homepage and reshaping print stories for social media audiences to enhance digital reach. Now back on the Politics Desk, she covers the National Assembly and the Ministry of National Defense, with a renewed focus on political developments.
Nomination of conservative economist triggers political backlash across parties
Lee Hye-hoon, planning and budget minister-designate, greets reporters upon arriving at the Korea Deposit Insurance Corporation building in central Seoul to prepare for her confirmation hearing, Monday. Yonhap
By Bahk Eun-ji
Expulsion, internal dissent put inclusive governance to test
The nomination of a veteran economist and three-term conservative lawmaker to a key Cabinet post sparked a political backlash, exposing deep divisions over President Lee Jae Myung’s push for “pragmatic and inclusive” appointments.
Lee Hye-hoon, a former lawmaker from the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), was named Sunday as the first minister-designate of the newly established Ministry of Planning and Budget, a powerful body tasked with shaping fiscal policy and long-term economic strategy.
The presidential office said the nomination was consistent with the president’s governing philosophy and that professional competence, rather than political affiliation, had guided the decision.
A senior presidential official said the president believes that “anyone with proven expertise and experience should be given a role, regardless of where they come from politically.”
The decision, however, immediately drew sharp reactions from both the opposition and within the ruling bloc.
The PPP reacted swiftly and harshly. Hours after the nomination was announced, the party convened an emergency leadership meeting and voted to expel Lee Hye-hoon from its ranks, bypassing the party’s ethics committee, in what party officials described as an exceptional response to an “egregious breach of party discipline.”
PPP officials accused her of accepting the Cabinet post without notifying the party in advance and of continuing party-related activities despite being aware of her impending nomination.
“Accepting a senior government position without severing ties or consulting the party is not a matter of personal choice,” PPP spokesperson Choi Soo-jin said in a statement. “It constitutes a clear act of betrayal and a violation of basic political norms.”
The Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) said the PPP’s response underscored its reluctance to engage in broader political cooperation under the new administration. Members of the ruling party generally defended the president's decision, criticizing the PPP's expulsion as excessive and politically shortsighted.
“This was a personnel decision based on expertise and policy capacity,” DPK spokesperson Kim Hyun-jung said. “Responding with expulsion only reinforces the impression that the opposition rejects the very idea of inclusive governance.”
Unease has also surfaced within the ruling camp. Several DPK lawmakers questioned whether Lee Hye-hoon’s political record aligns with the administration’s core values, particularly given her past participation in rallies opposing the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk Yeol and statements seen by critics as sympathetic to martial law during last year’s political crisis.
Rep. Lee Un-ju, a senior member of the DPK leadership, questioned how far the administration’s unity drive should go.
“I agree with unity with reasonable conservatives,” she wrote Monday in a social media post. “But it is difficult to accept that those who openly chanted ‘Yoon Again’ should also be included,” she wrote, citing the nominee’s past defense of Yoon's martial law declaration and opposition to his impeachment.
Figures of minor opposition parties also urged the president to reconsider the nomination.
Lee Jun-seok, leader of the Reform Party, said that while he hoped the nominee would have earned President Lee Jae Myung’s full confidence and the freedom to work independently, the appointment could prove “deeply disappointing” if that were not the case.
Kim Jae-yeon, co-leader of the Progressive Party, was more direct, calling for the withdrawal of the nomination and arguing that “someone who defended an act of insurrection cannot be entrusted with ministerial authority.”
As to the controversy, the president said that inclusive governance does not require ideological uniformity.
According to the presidential office, Lee said that forming a government solely with people who share the same views is not necessarily desirable, and that working with individuals who hold different perspectives through robust debate can lead to more rational and effective policy outcomes.
At the same time, he emphasized the need for the nominee to provide clarity regarding her past positions.
Presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said the president believes the nominee should offer a clearer explanation of her previous statements related to the martial law fiasco. The president also said the nominee will have to prove her capability during the National Assembly's confirmation hearing.
Lee Hye-hoon defended herself, saying she accepted the nomination in line with her long-held belief that economic and fiscal policy should transcend partisan boundaries.
“The president’s prerogative of appointing capable individuals regardless of political background is one I deeply respect,” she said in a statement. “Managing the national budget is not a partisan task but a responsibility to the public.”
The controversy is expected to intensify during the upcoming confirmation hearing, where lawmakers are likely to scrutinize the nominee’s policy views, past political activities and her compatibility with the administration’s economic agenda.